Leadership Trends in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Fellowship Directors: A Cross-sectional Study.

Abstract

We aimed to describe the demographic and professional backgrounds of current shoulder and elbow fellowship directors. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) 2021 to 2022 Fellowship Directory was reviewed to identify the 31 ASES-recognized US fellowship programs. Demographic and other data were obtained through an electronic survey and publicly available online resources from February 28, 2021, to March 5, 2021. Of the 31 fellowship directors, 97% (30) identified as male and 74% (23) as White, the mean age was 53 ± 7 years, and the mean Scopus h-index was 24.2 ± 13. Almost all (95%) held ASES committee leadership appointments in at least one committee. The mean time from completion of most recent fellowship to fellowship director appointment was 7.3 ± 6 years. About two-thirds of fellowship directors trained at one of five fellowship programs: Columbia University (n = 7), California Pacific Orthopaedics (n = 4), Washington University in St. Louis (n = 3), Mayo Clinic (n = 3), and Hospital for Special Surgery (n = 2). ASES fellowship directors share similar demographic and professional characteristics with high levels of research productivity and involvement in orthopaedic societies. There is a lack of diversity in shoulder and elbow fellowship directors, highlighting a need for priority consideration of this disparity by leaders in the field.